Being Well-Read in the Word

Psalm 1 gives us a profile of the person who reveres, digests, and applies God's Word to his or her life:
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

God desires for us to delight in His word - and that means that we not only read the Word regularly - a two-dimensional sense of ink on paper - but that we also study, memorize, meditate, perhaps even speak God's Word in prayer and praise - so that it becomes multi-dimensional and comes to life in our hearts and flows through our actions.

In 2nd Timothy 3, Paul writes to Timothy about the authority of God's Word and its purpose:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 


Amazon has released its list of "Most Well-Read Cities in America", determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since June 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents.   So, this list is really those that buy reading materials online from Amazon, but I digress.   You want to know who's on the list...so here goes:

10. Salt Lake City
9. Washington, DC
8. Gainesville, FL
7. Arlington, VA
6. Miami
5. Boulder, CO
4. Ann Arbor, MI
3. Berkeley, CA
2. Cambridge, MA
And the #1 Most Well-Read City: Alexandria, Virginia!


Also notable:  Atlanta is #19, Columbia, SC is #15, Orlando #14, and Knoxville is at #12.



In taking a closer look at the data, Amazon also found that:

• Berkeley, Calif., is a city full of jet-setters – it topped the list by ordering the most Travel books.
• Boulder, Colo., keeps the closest eye on its waistline by topping the list of cities that order the most books in the Health, Fitness & Dieting category.
• Virginia is for lovers – Alexandria, Va., that is, which tops the charts in the Romance book category.
• Cambridge, Mass., grows the most budding entrepreneurs. These locals topped the list for ordering the most books in the Business & Investing category.

“As the summer reading season gets into full swing, we're excited to reveal our second annual Most Well-Read Cities list,” said Chris Schluep, Senior Editor of Books, Amazon.com. “It’s great to see that we are truly a nation of readers, with representation on this list from every region of the country.”

And, overall, we celebrate the Bible as the best-selling book of all time.  And, we rejoice with LifeChurch.tv, with its mobile app YouVersion.com, celebrating 50 million downloads!!   Craig Groeschel, Founding Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, will be a guest on The Meeting House on Wednesday,



God's Word is more than print on paper or on a screen - more than the two-dimensional.   The Word is actually living and active - and sharp, penetrating our hearts.   Faith Radio is one of the tools that God can use to bring the Word of God more alive in your life and to direct you in your application of His truth.   And, there are numerous resources that can help us grow spiritually, based on God's truth.  We emphasize the importance of regular Bible reading...and encourage you to experience the Bible multi-dimensionally by memorization, study, meditation, speaking God's Word, and generally reprogramming our minds with His truth.   Perhaps we can have a goal to be a more well-read saint - well-read in God's Word!